Hermanas Tlahuel and Oliphant

Pues estoy muy feliz en esta tarde para tener la  oportunidad a escribirles. Pero voy a escribir en Ingles para que pueden entender!!!!!

We are working with a whole family (7 children but the parents won't listen... well it's cousins and brothers and sisters) and also with a few young adults. I will have to write more next week about all of them but just remember to pray for the people of Zanatepec so that they will open their hearts and accept our message that we want to share with them!!!!!!!

Today I would like to share some of what I have been learning.

I am reading in Alma and this week read about Ammon and his brothers. I would like to invite you to read Alma 20-22. It's part of the story of Ammon. I LOVE this story now because it's talking about how King Lamoni wants to share the gospel with his father. When you are reading, think in these questions. They came to me when I was reading:

1. What do I learn about my job as a missionary (or member) from this story?

2. What am I doing well?

3. What can I do better? 

4. How can the Lord use me as a tool to bring souls back to Him?

¨Sin embargo fueron pacientes en todos sus sufrimientos¨ (Alma 20:29)

6. How can I be more patient in my problems? and How can being patient lead us to the better life?

I am now working with a different Sister, Hermana Diaz. This is her first transfer and we will just be working for the next two weeks. I am excited to learn new things from this experience and from her. We made a whole bunch of new goals this morning and I am excited to see the results from working hard!

I will be going to the Doctor again this Thursday just to make sure everything is healing well.I have a pretty sweet scar now!!!! It's about 2.5 inches long! Cool, right?

Well I sure love you all so much! Thank you for always being by my side. I am so thankful for every one of you and for all of the trials and hardships we have or have had that have helped us to become stronger. I learn new things every single day! Thank you for being patient with me. I have been working on developing this attribute (Well I have been working on it my whole mission actually!!!) 

I love you!!!!!

Love

Hermana Oliphant

We dressed up for the District Conference.

These dresses were itchy and hot.  The embroidery is done by Hand!

 Hermana Park and Hermana Oliphant.  They were in the same district at the MTC and are both now in Zanatepec!

Well, this week we got back to work. My companion is still sick but we are doing our best to stay out working all day. I got my stitches out on Thursday and we will be going back on the 27th to make sure everything is healed up.

We have been doing a lot of contacting and also been told by everyone that they are happy with where they go to church. So we are doing what missionaries do best, looking for new people to teach!!!

I love sharing my testimony. I love watching people change. M is so wonderful!!!! He has been a member for 3 weeks and is progressing so much. He comments in all of the  classes at church and is really studying the gospel. I wish more people could be like him! He also is always first to volunteer for things. He and his wife are excited to go to the temple Dec 13th to do baptisms and are already talking about going in the next year to be sealed together. I LOVE how the gospel works in the lives of people.

Hermana Benally told me that Hermana R was finally confirmed a member and that F is really doing well. He studys his Book of Mormon and is just so happy to be a member.

I love you all. I know this church is true. 

Love
Hermana Oliphant

 

I still like posing for the camera hahahaha I haven't changed that much!

With Elder Lopez

This is from when we went to Chauties for our zone meeting. We all rode in the back of a truck there and back! I have videos but they won't send in email :(

As I have spent a good part of my mission sick, I have had a lot of time to think and ponder about a lot of things. Today I am so thankful for all of the wonderful people I have been blessed to call my family and also my friends. I am so thankful for the influences that I have in my life who have helped me to become a better person. I am thankful for My friends who have helped me over come hard situationes and have helped me to be the best I can be.

I am so thankful to be a member of the church. I am so thankful that my Savior Loves ME! I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have to be here In Oaxaca on a mission. It is hard. But I love it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am learning to be patient. I think that is something that I have been learning my whole mission. I guess I am just really impatient! I am also learning how to be more loving and how to serve my companion. I am also leading by example which isn't very easy, but I am just relying on the Lord to help me through all the hard times. My companion is great.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry this isn't very long. We didn't really get out of the house much this week because Hermana Tlahuel is sick, and, well, I was too. But I am better now; we went to the doctor on Thursday and I got all fixed up! We went to the Doctor of the Mission Oaxaca because it's closer than our doctor. It is in a town called Juichitan ( I think is how it is spelled). and EVERYONE there wears their .. how do you say it? custom clothing? like the dresses and everything that are specially for here? Yeah I don't remember how to say it... 

Justyce in the Native dress for the District Conference where the missionaries got to sing

I am so glad to hear that the concerts have started up and that everyone is playing well! I can't wait to hear all of the progress!!!

I love you so much!!!
Love

Hermana Oliphant

 

P.S.  I love you!!!! I can't wait to share all of my stories!!! It's much better in person. 

 

Well we are leaving the internet now. I hope you have a wonderful week. I know I will be thinking of you a ton. I miss you so much.  I am doing my best to keep  my head up and work as much as I can. I know I can do anything with the Lord's help :) 

I love you!
Tell the boys I love them SOOOOOOO much!!!

And I will talk to you next Monday!
:)

Movie gifts from a friend--waiting to watch at home!

Justyce's District

Wow. I can't believe we are already here at the internet again. Well actually we are at a different internet in a different town about 25 minutes away but hey it's internet! We had to come here because there aren't any banks or ATM's in Zanatapec and,well, it's the first of the month so we desperately needed money!

Well we had a very good week. I was working on getting to know all of the members; there aren't tons but hey that's why it's a branch! I love the people here. They are all super nice! You remember those motor taxis I told you about? Well we are friends with most of them so they sometimes give us rides for free!!!! Or maybe it's because I am cute?? because my companion said that they usually don't give rides for free!!!!!

I haven't died of the heat yet, which is good. I know that the Lord is helping me keep cool because it's super hot some days! and I haven't gotten sun burned yet which is Awesome! I am loving working with Hermana Tlahuel. She is headed home at the end of this transfer which is super sad :( but hey these 18 months go by sooo fast! She has been getting things ready to send home to her family which has gotten me thinking, I have SO much stuff! I am going to give lots away before I come home so that I can (hopefully!!!!) bring home a hammock! :) :) :)


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Well we had a wonderful week of small miracles. We worked hard even though we were a little sick. We reached our goals, we contacted every day and we saw the blessings on Saturday when we were able to move up a baptism date and watch M be baptized!!! Sunday he received the Holy Ghost AND the Melchizedek Priesthood! Our goal is that he can come to the temple with us in 2 weeks! In his baptism interview, he told Elder Hernandez that the reason he wanted to be baptized is so that he can go to the temple with his family. (His wife was baptized 2 years ago, and they have 2 young children). We are going to be working with him this week to try and find family names so that when we go he can be baptized for his family!!!! :)  I LOVE this gospel more and more every day. I LOVE seeing their faces as they come up out of the water (or RIVER!!) because they are just BEAMING. They can't get the smile off of their faces!!

Well church is definitely different here. We are in a casa de oracion (prayer house, I think is what they are called in English) and it's super small. We sing along to a CD player because there isn't a piano, and we had 70 people at church on Sunday. But I know we are going to help them grow here :) 

OH so pretty cool, we have been asked to help out with the choir for the district conference this weekend (district because it's branches, not wards, so it isn't a stake conference). We are going to be wearing original dresses from here that have been hand sewn and everything! I am super excited! We tried them on last night and they are so beautiful but they are so hot!!! It's a good thing we will only be wearing them for a short time! I am singing a solo..... wahoo!! ;) 

Well I sure love you all. I love this gospel. and I love my Savior!!!!!
Love,

Hermana Oliphant :) :) :)

Hermana Oliphant tried shrimp and loved it!

Here is a fun message from Justyce's companion in Comitan.

Hello!! I´m the companion of your daughter, Hermana Oliphant. Well, I mean I was. We have transfers today and Hermana Oliphant went to Oaxaca. She left Comitan and she is now on her way to Zanatepec. We are not exactly sure how long she will be traveling but we are hoping she will be able to write you! We just wanted to let you know that she is doing well and is on her way to Oaxaca. Hopefully she will have time to write you tonight. :) It was so awesome to serve with your daughter for a transfer. She really has a strong spirit and the people are receptive to the Spirit she brings. :) Thank you for letting her serve a mission. She was a blessing to me when I needed her. :) Thank you!!!

-Hermana Benally

 

It was a good thing we heard from Hermana Benally because we didn't hear from Justyce until after 7pm!

Here is her letter.

 

 I have been transferred! So I spent the day traveling and my new area is not in Chiapas!

I am now in Oaxaca and my area is called Zanatapec! I am going to be working in a Rama (branch) and not a ward... and I will be working with Hermana Tlahuel (who was the trainer of Hermana Park in San Cristobal!!!) and she is finishing her mission this transfer. We are going to have a lot of fun together and I am excited to work here with her. OH MY it is super hot and humid here, but hey I got used to that in Tapachula so I can do it again. In my travels, I was able to see some really good friends.... MY MOMMA!!!! Hermana Perez was in the OCC in Tuxtla. She is going home this week. I can't believe it's been so long since I saw her. She took a picture on her camera, because mine doesn't really work right now... ( it's a long story... ) and I also saw Hermana Trad!!!!! It was so refreshing to see people who I love so much.

Well we had a good week and finished our transfer strong with 2 baptisms!!! These two were able to be baptized on Saturday! Both of their stories have miracles and are so wonderful how they were finally able to receive their answers and enter into this gospel through baptism. I am sad that I don't have a ton of time today to write them, but I will hand write their stories and mail them ( or maybe just save it for when I get home.. in less than 6 months!!!! wow!) 

I was so sad to be leaving Comitan. but as I was pulling away this morning, I just KNEW that it wouldn't be the last time I was there. I KNOW I am going back to Comitan. I LOVE it there. I love the

Our bishop's youngest daughter

people, I love the members, I love the weather, and I want to share it with all of you! One day!! 

Well I know that this church is true. I love my Savior, and I am so thankful that I am able to be here in this wonderful work! Thank you so much for everything you all do for me! 

Hermana Oliphant

 This is my new Companion, Hermana Tlahuel.

P.S.  I thought the boys might get a kick out of this. So remember the bike cart that I rode on in Tapachula? They have them here and we use them to get everywhere! But they are better because they are made out of a motorcycle!! I will get a picture soon to send! There aren't combies here only motor taxies! cool right? :) I will talk to you all soon!!!!! Keep praying and I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

xoxox

Justyce Hermanita Oliphant ;)